QUICK NEWS, 4-20: OCEAN ENERGY’S SECOND WAVE; THE POLITICS OF OFFSHORE WIND; A LOOK AT GEOENGINEERING; THE MAN BEHIND BETTER PLACE

OCEAN ENERGY’S SECOND WAVE
Innovators Develop Second Wave of Ocean-Based Energy
Trevor Curwin, April 18, 2010 (CNBC)

"…UK-based Aquamarine Power believes it has conquered the cruel environment of the world’s oceans to bring almost limitless clean energy ashore…In a tough operating environment that has crushed or drowned many competitors, [Aquamarine Power’s] Oyster is currently generating energy off the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland by taking the radical approach of leaving the electricity-producing components of its power plant on land…

"The Oyster’s core is a buoyant, hinged flap that sways backwards and forwards in the waves near shore. This motion drives two hydraulic pistons which push high pressure water onshore to drive a conventional hydroelectric turbine…That keeps the production end of the equipment—the generator, converters, transformers and circuit breakers – high and dry onshore for easy maintenance and operation…"

DOE/EPRI estimate of U.S. wave energy potential. (click to enlarge)

"…[T]he promise of harvesting ocean energy from waves, tides and currents is not new…For several decades, many test projects have been tried but few achieved scalability, with most concepts succumbing to the operating environment and to high costs of production…Peter Asmus, an analyst with cleantech research firm Pike Research, says the industry is only now getting starting to build a new generation of technologies, like the Oyster…

"The resource is clearly abundant. The Electric Power Research Institute, an independent energy research organization, estimates that the U.S. could produce 10 gigawatts of wave power and 3 gigawatts of tidal power within 10 years…That would be enough to produce six percent of U.S. electrical demand…[Aquamarine Power] calculates the Oyster could generate in excess of 50 gigawatts of power worldwide…"

Rendering of the Green Ocean Energy hybrid wind energy/wave energy device. (click to enlarge)

"But even if the technology proves itself, large-scale ocean energy projects face the same hurdles that such projects face on land—a spotty transmission grid and a financing crunch still thwarting many big infrastructure projects…One savior may be a competing renewable energy technology…Offshore wind projects mount proven and scalable wind turbine technology on platforms at sea. These could work in conjunction with ocean energy systems like Aquamarine’s Oyster, providing crucial infrastructure to make wave and tidal power more viable…

"Michael Kanellos, researcher and editor-in-chief with research firm Greentech Media/GTM Research, says that even with those benefits it will still be tough to attract investment for ocean power…He [says] this will likely be a niche technology for years to come, with projects deployed in very specific locales to generate power to sell into the wider power grid, or to provide local energy for more remote communities less connected to the grid…[But] opportunity is much closer today than it has been…"


THE POLITICS OF OFFSHORE WIND
Wind energy decision carries political impact; Obama mulls turbine plan off Cape Cod
Joseph Weber, April 18, 2010 (Washington Times)

"…[T]he nation's offshore wind energy industry is about to find out which way the breezes are blowing…After nine years in the government regulatory mill, backers of the Cape Wind project off the shores of Massachusetts' Cape Cod will learn by April 30 whether Mr. Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will let them proceed, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the industry if the project is quashed.

"Mark Rodgers, spokesman for Cape Wind developer Energy Management Inc. of Boston, said that the project is being closely watched because it is the first of its kind in the United States, with a number of other projects being eyed along the Atlantic coastline…Mr. Obama has made renewable energy a top priority - vowing to double the country's output in three years, supporting wind turbines along the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, and putting more than $800 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for such clean-energy initiatives as solar and geothermal power."

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"…Cape Wind poses a particular dilemma for the administration. It was bitterly opposed by Mr. Obama's close friend and political mentor, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, even though backers say the completed project could supply well more than half of the cape's power needs…[The Whitehouse recently declined] to discuss Cape Wind…and referred questions to the office of Mr. Salazar…[who] has vowed to make a final decision by April 30…Even putting aside the economic and ecological issues, the decision won't be an easy one for the president…Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat and Obama ally, supports Cape Wind, even as Mr. Kennedy worked virtually right up to his death in 2009 to stop it.

"The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation rejected the project…citing Cape Wind's "destructive" impact on the storied Kennedy family compound in Hyannisport and roughly 30 other historic districts and properties…Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, has been publicly noncommittal, while newly elected Republican Sen. Scott Brown said he supports wind power in general but does not support Cape Wind…"

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"China and a number of European nations have been racing ahead with offshore wind energy projects…There are at least six other major U.S. offshore wind projects in development - including ones in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region and one off Texas' Galveston coast that is not subject to federal review…Advocates say the wind energy turbines could provide a new, affordable power source for Northeast states…

"Land-based wind farms have lower startup costs and present fewer technology and environmental challenges, which results in cheaper energy per megawatt hour. But the Northeastern U.S. in particular lacks sufficient space for major land-based developments. Though other offshore wind projects are much further behind Cape Wind…NRG Bluewater Wind has signed a 25-year deal with Delmarva Power to sell the utility as much as 200 megawatts of power from [a Delaware] offshore wind facility…While the industry will be watching closely the outcome of the Cape Wind process, NRG officials say, it will not be a make-or-break moment for the offshore wind energy industry as a whole…"


A LOOK AT GEOENGINEERING
Engineering the Earth; Jeff Goodell sizes up the silver-bullet technologies that may be needed to combat rising planetary temperatures
Eric Roston, March 25, 2010 (BusinessWeek)

"The Good: Goodell explores with infectious curiosity and thoughtful narration this strange, promising, and untested suite of climate fixes…The Bad: The book's deadline must have been too early for Goodell to explain why climate scientists have been in a PR pickle…The Bottom Line: If you think climate change has much to do with what U.S. political parties currently say they think, or that it has a single clear solution, read this book and think again…"

"… Ken Caldeira, a climate modeler with the Carnegie Institution for Science…articulated a central conundrum…"If you are pushed against the wall in a Senate meeting room and asked what you can do to cool off the planet in a hurry, what do you say?"…That's one question probed in Jeff Goodell's judicious and much needed new book, How to Cool the Planet…[G]eoengineering has become a flashpoint within the already ferocious climate debate…[and is] commanding serious attention from public- and private-sector luminaries…A lot of kooky geoengineering ideas have bubbled up…Goodell, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone…resists the temptation to write about these, focusing instead on ideas that are beginning to attract research dollars..."

From Clean Skies

"…[Ideas include the release of] tons of aerosol particles into the sky..[to] reflect the Sun's light…[Pumping] infinitesimal water droplets into the air to buffer ocean clouds' reflectivity…[and] whitening rooftops around the world to reflect solar energy back to space…Which authorities would regulate any of these moves, and how, is anyone's guess, and therefore a looming diplomatic and legal problem—beyond the still-speculative nature of much geoengineering science.

"Climate action in Washington has stalled in no small part because of the feared costs to businesses and consumers of rising energy prices…"Who can resist a cheap fix?" [Goodell asks]…[M]any environmentalists, that's who. They fear that geoengineering would let polluters off the hook and exacerbate the underlying problem, which is an atmospheric destabilization more dramatic than anything in the recent geological record. Some polluters have embraced geoengineering precisely because of its possible low price…"

click thru to buy the book

"…Along the way they've picked up advocates in Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, whose bestseller SuperFreakonomics includes a chapter on geoengineering that commits two basic errors: oversimplifying Earth system science and falling in love with the aerosol particle solution…[They] trumpet a simple answer to climate change in part because they didn't do enough research to understand how little they did. By contrast, Goodell understands there's no approach to the problem that doesn't confront fundamental questions, such as: What is the Earth for? Where does nature end and humanity begin? There is no trace of climate alarmism or political advocacy here. Goodell takes a detailed look at the range of hard choices humanity faces and explores how complicated moral and ethical considerations will dictate our response.

"Goodell is also a skilled writer. He splices complicated ideas into pithy turns of phrase…Geoengineering, says Goodell, may be an inexpensive way…Or it could be a costly mistake. We don't know yet. In a final chapter called "Human Nature," he writes: 'I do believe this is what it comes down to. We can use our imagination and ingenuity to create something beautiful and sustainable, or we can destroy ourselves with stupidity and greed. It is our choice.'"


THE MAN BEHIND BETTER PLACE
Shai Agassi: One man's mission to turn all cars electric
Anouk Lorie, April 19, 2010 (CNN)

"Shai Agassi is a man on a mission -- an ambitious one to wean the world off its oil addiction and turn everyone into electric car drivers…The Israeli businessman is developing a global network of charging spots and "battery switch stations," which will effectively work as gas stations for electric cars.

"With his California-based company, Better Place, Agassi has partnered with car maker Renault-Nissan to produce the first generation of emission-free [affordable] electric cars…Australia, Denmark, Hawaii, Ontario and California have announced plans to adopt the Better Place electric car networks…[O]n April 26, Better Place is preparing to unveil the first electric taxis with switchable batteries in Tokyo."

From btrplc via YouTube

"Agassi, 42, who was named one of the 100 most influential people of 2009 by Time magazine, is planning to install hundreds of thousands of charge spots at workplaces, public parking lots and along urban streets, in addition to at-home charge spots worldwide…Agassi has his sights set firmly on turning his homeland [of Israel] into the first country in the world to run solely on electric cars…Israel's first functional charging station opened in December 2008…[and there are] plans to introduce 100,000 of the [Nissan Fluence electric] cars into the country by January 2011…[Israel’s] president, Shimon Peres is an enthusiastic supporter of the project…

"The electric car's lithium-ion batteries are rated to last about 160 kilometers on a full charge. But the most audacious of Agassi's plans is the battery-swapping stations…At an estimated cost of $500,000 to build, the station has a robot that slips under the electric car and replaces the flat battery for a fully charged one, clicking it in and out of place in minutes…Agassi believes these stations will be key in changing the public perception of electric cars…"

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"To ensure a low cost per mile, Agassi's company Better Place says it has introduced a subscription model that will include a "mileage plan," similar to a cell phone plan…[D]rivers buy the car and then sign up for a separate mileage plan that will give them access to the batteries, the network of battery switch stations and the charge spots…

"…[Agassi] is convinced this is the model that will create worldwide mass adoption of the electric car in favor of the internal combustion engine…A 2008 report by Deutsche Bank analysts concluded that the company's approach could be a "paradigm shift" that causes "massive disruption" to the auto industry…[Agassi] has raised more than $700 million in investment for the project…[but there are critics who] have been quick to point out potential flaws in Agassi's plan…"